The Worst Anime Based on Video Games

Video games and anime go hand in hand, both for the fanbase, and for the creators. The list of anime that are based on video game stories is long – Pokémon, anyone? – but not all of them are made equally. In this list we’ve collated a few of the worst anime based on video games of all time.

This is by no means a definitive list and it isn’t ranked in any particular order, but if you’re looking for a new anime series to watch, make sure to avoid these. The games they’re based on might be great, but there’s no reason for this collection of anime to exist.

Dragon’s Dogma

Dragon’s Dogma is truly bottom-shelf stuff. It’s the cream of the rotten crop, which is shame considering that the game series is pretty good – for more proof of that, read our Dragon’s Dogma II preview. This anime is essential for no-one, not fans of the game, not newcomers: nobody. Don’t bother with the Dragon’s Dogma anime.

Ace Attorney

Ace Attorney is a beloved game, and the anime is a faithful enough recreation of the story. But that’s also the problem. The story in Ace Attorney is great and memorable because it’s up to you to uncover it all, step-by-step – in anime form it just doesn’t hit the same way. More could’ve been done to jazz up this series, but as it stands, Ace Attorney is pretty disappointing.

Danganronpa: The Animation

Danganronpa is often compared to Ace Attorney, and wouldn’t you know it, the anime suffers a similar fate. There’s nothing wrong with the Danganronpa anime, necessarily, but is it getting anyone excited? No. Play the game, sure, but skip the anime.

Super Dragon Ball Heroes

One of the most legendary anime series of all time has one of the worst and weirdest spin-offs of all time. Dragon Ball Heroes is a popular card game based on the Dragon Ball series, and yes, there are multiple video game and arcade adaptations. It’s so popular, in fact, that it spawned the Super Dragon Ball Heroes web series, which basically features every Dragon Ball character, every fusion, every form, and ridiculous new forms and fusions you might not have ever even imagined. It’s super stupid, and can be fun to watch, but it’s also impossible to take seriously.

Scarlet Nexus

Remember Scarlet Nexus? That sure is a game that released – you’re forgiven if you totally forgot that there was an anime series that aired based on in 2021. It’s just… fine, like the game. Totally inoffensive, but also entirely uninspiring. Scarlet Nexus exists.

Steins;Gate 0

Steins;Gate is one of the best anime adaptations of a video game ever – so it’s somehow only fitting that it gets an all-timer standard awful sequel. Just like the game, Steins;Gate 0 feels like a cheap retread of the original concept. Instead of the powerful and confident alt-timeline Okabe that we get teased in the main series/game, 0 fleshes that character out and reveals him to be a bystander for almost the entire series, until he sends a message back in time. It’s the definition of disappointing – you can pretend this addition to the series simply doesn’t exist.

Persona 5: The Animation

There’s nothing outright wrong with Persona 5: The Animation, or indeed any of the Persona anime series, but there’s nothing to really justify them either. They exist, they retell the story of the games – and for Persona 5: The Animation, not even the full story, as it excludes the characters and story details from Persona 5 The Royal. You could spend your time better by actually playing the game, or watching a notably good anime instead, how about that?